My Cat Princess
by Kaorin71
Summary: Kyoko Mogami is leading her normal everyday life when she is suddenly cursed. Now, with her fairy twin in the spotlight, she must fulfill the conditions of the curse before everything she loves is lost, while discovering her hidden past and true identity.
1. Spellbound

_Kaorin71: My first attempt at writing a fantasy/romantic fanfic. I thought that it was a good idea and since it won't leave my mind, I decided to write it down. So guys, I need you on this one. If you have the time to review and to alert then surely you also have the time to submit a comment. I want to know if you guys like it or not. If you people don't reply to my pleas, then I'll have to delete this…_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat.

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**Chapter 1: Spellbound**

_It's almost six o'clock,_ a certain brown haired actress thought. _I should probably leave now._

Thinking deeply, Kyoko strode through the hallways of LME. Her job as Bo the chicken on Kimagure Rock has just ended thirty minutes ago and she had just refused Hikaru's dinner invitation. She knew that what she did might've been cruel, considering the fact that she did promise to eat dinner with the hosts that night. But she had an important mission to finish, one that involved her best friend Kanae.

Quickening her pace, Kyoko headed towards the exit. Pushing the double doors open, she walked outside. The evening breeze almost immediately splashed on her face as she did so. That same wind relaxed her somehow. Yet, as much as she liked that feeling, she had to go. She can't waste anymore time.

_I have to pass by that store tonight,_ she told herself. _I really have to hurry. I can't let someone else buy that necklace._

Yesterday, Kyoko had been privileged enough to be invited to Kanae's private condominium room. Since she was so fed up about living in that horrible house of theirs, Kanae decided to rent her own condo room without the knowledge of her siblings. And while Kyoko was looking around there, she found her best friend's calendar. She noticed a big red circle on the twenty seventh of October.

"Her, Moko-san," the young actress had asked, pointing at the calendar. "Why is this date encircled?"

Kanae had groaned at her back then. "That's nothing. I got that calendar from our house so there are probably random scribbles there."

Kyoko had almost believed her excuse, if not for the mysteriously drawn arrow there. There was a text that said, 'Turn this page over' so she did so. That time, when she found the note about the twenty seventh at the back, her eyes had widened in surprise.

_Who knew that Moko-san's birthday is just a week away?_ Kyoko groaned, popping out of her flashback. _She didn't even tell me. I could just ask her about it later. I have to get to that store pronto._

Kyoko was about to make her way to the bicycle stand when she stopped. She then remembered that she didn't ride her bike to LME that day. Sighing, Kyoko's shoulders slumped down as she decided to just walk. That idea, however, proved to be impossible as she was nearly run over a speeding car.

_What now? _Kyoko thought, getting worried. Looking at her wrist watch, she saw that it was already fifteen minutes past six. _ Damn. Time sure is fast. The store closes at six thirty. Moreover, they told me that I have to buy that necklace today or else they'll give it to another customer. Arrgghh! How am I gonna get there on time?_

This actress then began to panic and dance around the street. A couple of people stared and avoided her, thinking that she was an escapee from the mental. One person took notice of her, though.

_"Mogami-san?"_

Halting her weird dance, Kyoko swiftly turned around and came face to face with Ren Tsuruga, her respected sempai. She immediately straightened her spine and bowed down, saying, "Good evening, Tsuruga-san."

"Ah, good evening, too," Ren said, gesturing for her to straighten up. He looked at her then around the area. "Why are you standing at a place like this?"

In response to that question, Kyoko sighed. "I don't have my bicycle and I really need to go somewhere important. So I thought of walking there but I almost got hit and run by a reckless driver."

"Is that so? Then why don't you let Ren, your beloved sempai, drive you there?" Suggested Yashiro, Ren's manager, who was standing just behind the actor. He had that signature fanboy grin on his face, one that spelled trouble. "Ren would be more than happy to escort you there. Right, Ren?"

Ren glared daggers at his manager. Yashiro pretended not to notice this and kept his gaze on the girl. Kyoko on the other hand shifted uneasily at the statement given.

"Well? Let's go," Yashiro enthusiastically said. "We can't just stand here all night."

"But, Yashiro-san," Kyoko started. "Is it really okay for Tsuruga-san to escort me there? I wouldn't want to disturb the two of you."

Yashiro answered for Ren. "No need to worry. Ren would be more than willing to play chauffer for you. In fact, I bet he's excited."

Unable to argue any longer, Kyoko followed them to the parking lot. Yashiro still had the fanboy smile plastered on his face. Ren would've loved to punch that expression off his face. Nevertheless, he controlled his temper and took them to the farthest area at the parking lot.

Ren sighed then took out his car keys. He pressed a button, opened the door for Kyoko, went to the other side and then sat down on the driver's seat. Yashiro, however, stayed outside.

"Uh, Yashiro-san?" Kyoko called up, peeking out of the rolled down window. "Aren't you coming in? You might get left behind."

The manager shook his head. "I'm not going, Kyoko-chan. I need to attend to an urgent meeting with the president. It was unexpected so I have to hurry."

_A good liar, that's what you are,_ Ren thought, gripping the steering wheel tightly. _One day, when you fall in love with some girl, I'm going to make you go through the same hell you made me experience._

The girl looked skeptical. "A meeting at six with the president at six in the evening? Isn't that unusual?"

Shrugging, Yashiro said, "Like I said, it was uncalled for. Besides, isn't the president unusual himself? Don't worry about me, Kyoko-chan. I'm going to be fine." Peering at his watch, Yashiro faked a gasp. "Well, look at the time. I really have to go. Bye! See you tomorrow!"

Before any of them could react, Yashiro ran away. He was so quick that even Ren was surprised. Kyoko was stunned by his weird reaction. But she shrugged this away, being the oblivious person she is.

Gripping the wheel, Ren told her, "Are we going, then?"

Nodding, Kyoko arranged her seatbelt. Ren did the same. Soon after, he started the engine. He shifted the car gears, backed the car then turned the wheel. After a few more moments, they were out of the parking lot and into the road.

Silence covered the entire car as Ren drove. Kyoko was still in deep thought while the actor was coming up of various schemes on how to get back at his manager. A few seconds later, Kyoko opened up a conversation.

"Tsuruga-san, have you ever gotten Yashiro a birthday present?" She asked, looking expectantly at him.

_And why would I give that devil a gift?_ He asked in his mind. "Well, he never really asked for anything other than a day off."

"But you never gave him anything that came from your heart?" Kyoko asked him further.

_I'm about to. I'm gonna give him a graceful punch from the bottom of my heart._ Ren just smiled at Kyoko. "I gave him a cell phone once. And he managed to break it in a matter of .9 milliseconds."

Seeing his fake smile, Kyoko can't help but cringe away. She managed a reply. "I see. But have you ever given a girl something?"

Ren looked at the girl. Why was she asking him a lot of questions about things he doesn't know about? "Besides the flowers that I gave you, no."

"Oh." Disappointment covered Kyoko. Of course her sempai wouldn't have any experience in that. He's too busy to bother with those kinds of matters.

"Why are you asking anyway?"

"Moko-san is going to have her birthday," Kyoko blurted out. "I want to give her something special but the only thing that I've bought is an elegant golden brown dress. Does that count as a good gift?"

"Of course," Ren told her, keeping his eyes on the road. "It's good because you took the time to think of giving her a present."

"But," Kyoko protested, "Moko-san gave me an expensive perfume and accessory set last time. And in exchange for those, I could only give her a necklace and a dress." Then she frowned. "I'm not even sure if I can give her the necklace."

"Anything that comes from the heart is a gift worth treasuring," Ren told her.

Kyoko nodded, ending their conversation. Ren continued to drive in silence, not bothering to open another topic. They remained quiet until they reached the intersection. The left road led to the Daruma-ya and the right led to some place else. The actor was about to turn to the left when Kyoko grabbed his hands.

Surprised, he looked at her. "What is it, Mogami-san?"

Kyoko pointed to the road on the right side of the intersection. "Turn there. I'm not going home yet. I have to buy Moko-san's gift this evening."

He nodded. He was going to do as she told him but he stopped. He glanced at her hands which were still on top of his.

"Mogami-san," Ren called her. "Your hands…"

As soon as Kyoko realized that she was still holding his hand, she took it away. Looking away, she mumbled, "Sorry about that."

Exhaling, Ren turned the car to the right. He peered at the actress then let out a silent sigh. He really can't understand her sometimes. Earlier, she was talking comfortably with him. Now she was avoiding his eyes. Did he do something wrong?

_Relax Kyoko, _she thought as she touched her chest. I thought my heart would burst through. _What's with that? I just held Tsuruga-san's hand and that happened. Weird._

A couple of minutes passed by. Kyoko eventually calmed her heart down and, noticing where they were, told Ren to stop the car. The actor immediately halted the car and reached across Kyoko to open the door. He wasn't sure but he thought he saw her blush when he came close to her. He didn't have the time to confirm this because Kyoko swiftly got out of the car, as if to flee from him.

"Are you going to be okay?" Ren asked her. "I could wait for you if you want."

Shaking her head, Kyoko smiled. "No need. I'm totally fine. I know this place like the back of my hand." After saying that, she bowed down. "Thanks for escorting me here, Tsuruga-san."

Smiling back, he answered, "It's my pleasure."

Kyoko bid her goodbye as Ren started the engine. In a matter of seconds, Ren's car was out of the place. Sighing in relief, Kyoko went on her way and dashed towards the nearby jewelry store. She felt relieved when she saw that the store was still open.

_Good thing Tsuruga-san drove me here,_ Kyoko told herself. _Now I could go in and -_

She stopped on her tracks. Her eyes widened in horror at what she saw. Inside the store, the lavender haired saleslady was giving a customer a necklace. Not just a necklace but it was that necklace that she wanted to buy for Kanae.

"Stop!" She exclaimed, swinging the door open. It banged on the wall which caught the attention of the two.

The saleslady recognized her. "Ah, it's you. The one that ordered the necklace."

Coming up to her, she pointed at the piece of jewelry she had on her hand. "Yes. And if I'm not mistaken, that's the necklace I ordered yesterday. You promised that you'd sell that to me if I come back today and here I am."

The lavender haired girl hesitated. She looked at Kyoko and then to the orange haired woman. She looked at the star shaped pendant on her hand. Finally, she gave it to Kyoko.

The orange haired woman protested. "Hey, you told me that you'd sell that to me!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am," she said, rubbing her temples. "This girl is right. I did promise to sell it to her."

Kyoko smiled triumphantly as she paid the woman. At last, she had that necklace. From the first day she saw it, she knew that it matched the dress she bought for Kanae. The golden star pendant would make a great match with the golden brown dress.

Thanking the saleslady, Kyoko went out of the store. She hummed a happy tune as she strode away from the place. She was about to turn to the next block if not for that weird sound she heard.

Stopping, Kyoko strained to hear. Yep. There was a sound all right. And it kind of sounded like footsteps. Quick, thudding footsteps headed in her direction. It grew closer but Kyoko didn't run. Well, she couldn't run. Those damn ghost stories Sho told her came back to her and made her incapable of movement.

_Who's following me?_ Kyoko thought. _Don't tell me… It's not the Beagle, is it? Noooo! Please, not him! I don't want to lose one of my demon buddies again!_

Swirling around, Kyoko took a glimpse of her stalker. She almost sighed in relief when she saw that it was just the orange haired woman following her.

She smiled at the woman. "Is there a problem?"

That woman, however, looked at her with piercing red eyes. "Yes, there is a problem. I got to the store first and that necklace should be mine."

Now Kyoko took offense. "This isn't yours. I made a deal with the saleslady. She said I could buy this if I came today."

"Stubborn child," she said. "I'll show you what happens to humans who refuse a fairy."

At the mere mention of the word 'fairy', Kyoko suddenly became interested. But that interest quickly faded as she felt something heavy in her chest. Her breathing became labored and her body couldn't move. Kyoko looked at the woman. She was sneering at her, pointing a finger at her.

"Now do you understand?" She sauntered towards Kyoko and took the necklace from her hand. "No on messes with a fairy and gets away with it."

Twirling the pendant on her hand, she continued. "Now, how should I teach you a lesson? Shall I separate your soul from your body? Or should I make you suffer an unbearable pain?" She frowned as she closed her hand on the piece of jewelry. When she opened them again, she smiled cruelly. "I have a better idea. Why don't I just put a spell on you?"

_That's not a better idea,_ Kyoko wanted to say. _If this woman is a fairy then I don't want to believe in them anymore. _

"Let's take a look, shall we?" She said sarcastically, putting one hand on top of Kyoko's head. The girl was stunned when that woman's hand began to glow and then a mass of darkness appeared. It looked like black smoke but it was definitely not that.

After a few more moments, she removed her hand. Kyoko felt very dizzy. She thought she was going to topple over. Glancing to the woman, she saw her grin maliciously.

"It seems that you're one of those rare types of humans," she said, spinning her hand in the air. "You're one of those humans who have lost the ability to love." Then she went up to her again, tilting Kyoko's head up to her. "Incredible. I never thought I'd see one of the shattered beings."

_Shattered beings?_ Kyoko thought. _What does that mean?_

Surprise showed on Kyoko's face when she saw a circular seal appear under her. It had some strange symbols and a one big symbol at the center. It was black in color. Black which seemed to glow faintly.

"I'll bind you to an impossible spell," she told her, laughing sarcastically. "From now on, no longer are you a human. You will take the form of a shattered being and forever will you remain in that form."

Smoke rose from the seal on the ground. It wrapped around her body, tightening on her. Suffocating her. Kyoko felt her breath being taken away by the smoke.

"But you can return to your human form," she continued, swirling her hand around the actress. "You may go back to your original form on the condition that the person your heart desires will propose to you and plant a kiss on your lips. That is the only way to get your body back."

_A person my heart desires? Propose to me? Kiss?_ Those questions raced through Kyoko's mind as she felt her head get lighter and lighter. Her consciousness was slowly declining. Her vision was failing. She took one last look at the orange haired woman in front of her.

"It is an easy task to fulfill that condition," she told the fainting Kyoko. "But for the shattered ones, it is a condition impossible to attain."

_Impossible…_ Squinting at the figure, she tried to keep herself awake. But her eyelids dropped and her body felt tired. She couldn't stay awake.

Obtaining her objective, the orange haired woman began to walk away. She said one last phrase to the weakened girl before completely disappearing from the place.

_"Goodnight, my cat princess."

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_Well, did you guys like it? C'mon, please tell me if you did. I don't want to waste my time writing a story that no one is interested in. And, if you did like this story, sorry to tell you that updates would be monthly. I honestly have a lot of projects and homework to cram and I'm not planning to fail second year high school. So… R&R!_


	2. Trapped

_Kaorin71: 2__nd__ chapter. Maybe this'll be the last update for a while. Next week is examination week and after that is our break. I might not upload the next chapters soon because, like I said, we don't have any internet connection at home. And I'm sorry for those expecting fluff and the likes as early as this chapter. The romance will begin somewhere after chapter three or four… But the magic will show up every now and then… XD_

_Before anything else, I'd like to thank all the people who took the time to read this fanfic! I hope I won't disappoint you guys! Suggest some ideas if you guys want. I'll read 'em and think about 'em._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat… (Though it would be pretty neat if I did)

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**Chapter 2: Trapped**

_Thud, thud, thud, thud..._

Kyoko twitched. That loud sound was disturbing her sleep. She was having a pretty good dream, too. She tried ignoring the irritating sound.

_Thud, thud, thud, thud..._

Wrinkling her nose, Kyoko spun on her bed. She raised her hands and covered her pointed ears with them. She was slightly tickled when the fur on her hands got into her ears.

That was when she jolted up. Her eyes opened instantly, recalling her earlier thoughts._ I wrinkled my nose? Pointed ears? Furry hand? What's that about?_

The girl raised her hands up to her face. She felt genuinely surprised to find paws in the place of her hands. Furry little cat paws. She then touched her ears. Yep. Definitely pointed. Her nose felt wet, as most cats' noses are.

_What happened to me?_ Kyoko screamed in her mind. Then she looked around only to find that she out in the streets. _I'm not even on my bed. Why am I still here in this place? And why do I have pointed ears and cat paws?_

_Thud, thud, thud, thud..._

It was that weird sound again. Only this time, Kyoko knew what it was. It was the soft thudding of the people's shoes as they strode on the asphalt. On the asphalt where she was sleeping.

Scared that she might get squashed, she staggered on her feet and scampered away from the street. She ran into an empty alley then rested on a cardboard box. Upon lying down on the board, she tried to think of the reasons why she was a cat.

_Maybe this is just a dream, _she thought, licking her golden brown fur. _Maybe I was just too tired yesterday. Or maybe my imagination just got carried away. Maybe I'm insane and I'm thinking that I'm a cat._

Thinking about those things, she clawed furiously on the cardboard._ There's no way those reasons could be possible. Uggh. There has got to be some logical explanation of what is happening to me._

As she was still licking her fur, she caught a glimpse of the color._ Golden brown? I'm golden brown?_ Then Kyoko's optimism kicked in. _That's great. I'm the same color as Moko-san's dress. That means I can give myself as a gift to her instead of that necklace..._

When she thought of the word 'necklace', she immediately remembered what had happened last night. That's right. A strange orange haired woman followed her. She wanted that necklace that she bought. Then she started saying weird things. Then… she said Kyoko was one of the 'shattered ones'. And she bound her to an impossible spell.

_She turned me into a cat?_ Kyoko questioned. _Didn't she say that she'd change my form? She told me that I'll take the form of a shattered being, whatever that is. Is a cat a shattered being?_

Realizing her situation, Kyoko sighed. _Well, now what? Let's supposed that a cat really is a shattered being. What'll I do now?_ Then a thought popped into her head. _Wait, she said something about me being able to return to my original form. Now what was it..?_

"Ah," she said, recalling something. Although when she spoke, only a soft meow came out. Maybe it was one of the effects of being a cat, not that she cared very much. She told her last night that she really can change back. On the condition that the person her heart desires should propose and kiss her on the lips.

_So it really is easy to break,_ Kyoko thought, scratching the cardboard. _I just have to find someone who I love and tell them to propose and kiss me on the lips. Yeah. No problem._

_Arrghh! What am I thinking?_ Kyoko told herself. _There's no way anyone would want to propose and kiss me! Moreover, I am in cat form. Who in the world would want to kiss a cat on the lips?_

And she had one more problem to worry about. The curse states that she has to find someone who she loves. At present, her heart is still a closed door. In short, the spell is easy to overcome but since Kyoko doesn't love anyone, it's definitely impossible.

_What should I do now?_ She sulked, curling up into a ball._ I'm a cat with no hopes of ever getting back to my real form. I didn't go home yesterday. And everyone is probably looking for me. _

_Maybe I should at least go back to the Daruma-ya,_ she thought, getting enthusiastic. Then she sulked again. _No way will the boss let me in. He hates furry animals._

Another thought popped into her head._ I know. I should go to LME. I have to find Moko-san or Tsuruga-san or anyone who could help me. I have to at least try._

Making up her mind, this girl - rather, this cat stood up. Of course, she was on all fours since she was an animal right now. Arching her back, she prepared to run. Then, when she has gathered enough power, she dashed across the street.

There were people everywhere. And thousands of feet seemed to want to crush her. A high school student running to avoid detention almost stepped on her. A car speeding on the road almost ran over her. And she was almost crushed by a handbag.

On and on she went. Soon enough, she came upon the intersection. She sped to the other direction - to the north where LME was. She dodged cars, people, and some growling dogs who bared their teeth when they saw her coming.

_Cats are really fast,_ Kyoko thought as she saw a glimpse of the establishment. She was only running for about five minutes and she was already at her destination.

Upon seeing the establishment, she noticed a crowd near the entrance of LME. And just a few feet away from the entrance, there was a black car parked. Kyoko knew the appearance of that car too well. And she also knew who owned that vehicle.

The doors of the car opened and out came Ren Tsuruga and Yukihito Yashiro. They both seemed oblivious of what was happening. And their faces showed surprise when they saw the huge crown of reporters blocking the entrance.

Kyoko saw her chance. Using her amazing agility, she darted to the actor although she was slightly hindered when a person stepped beside the actor. A couple more people came. At that point, Ren was totally surrounded by the reporters.

"Tsuruga Ren, is it true that Kyoko Mogami, the girl who played Mio in Dark Moon and the actress behind Natsu of Box 'R', is missing?" Asked one reporter.

Ren's face showed surprise when they mentioned that the girl was missing. After a few moments, he composed himself once more as he said, "No, that's not true. I just saw Mogami-san yesterday night."

"But in the initial report, they say that the actress has been missing ever since last night," a woman told him, shoving a microphone to him. "And we heard that her guardians also notified the local police because she did not go home. What can you say about that?"

"I can't say anything for now," Ren said with the intent of closing the conversation. "If you'll excuse me -"

But another one interrupted him. "You just said that you saw her last night. Is there a possibility that you may have taken her somewhere..?"

Before he could finish his scandalous question, Ren glared at him. Then, with ice cold voice, he told him, "I am not that kind of a person. And I believe that even if I did ask Mogami-san to come with me, she would've refused because she isn't the kind of girl you think she is."

The reporters could only stare in shock at the retreating figure of the actor. Even Kyoko was shocked. Who knew that Ren would go that far just to protect her?

_He really is nice, _Kyoko thought, feeling her body get hot. _Tsuruga-san is a gentleman, after all. He - hey, wait. I have to follow him! I need to tell him about what happened to me!_

This cat quickly scampered to her feet and then started to run towards the actor. But as she was getting closer to him, a leg blocked her way. She didn't have any time to stop herself. Before she knew it, she had hit the man's leg and was stumbling back, rubbing her furry head with her tiny paws.

The guy she bumped - unfortunately - was in a very grumpy mood. He grunted when she hit his leg. When he felt the soft bump, he stared down at her. Squinting at her, he began to frown.

Growling, he said, "What the hell? Why is there a dirty vermin here in LME?"

The man beside him turned and looked down at the poor kitty. "A cat. A dirty brown cat. You should get rid of that pest before it causes trouble here. We might get blamed again, just like the last time when the president's grand daughter let in an army of rats."

Nodding, the guy bent down to pick her up. Kyoko winced when he pinched her skin. Acting on pure instinct, she bit his arm. Her awfully sharp and ever so dangerous cat teeth were perfect for tearing human flesh. The man yelled out loudly and shook his hand free of her bite. When she finally let go, there was blood oozing out of the wound.

"Damn cat!" He cursed, glaring at Kyoko. "Wait 'till I get my hands on you. I'm gonna choke you and pluck those teeth off your mouth."

Once again, her animal instinct kicked in. She bit his leg and he yelped. Seeing that he was no longer a huge threat to her, she let go and then dashed off. The other guy who was with the man she bit ran after her, shouting some curses that Kyoko knew would land him a spot in hell.

_Why is this happening to me?_ Kyoko furiously thought as she ran. _Why, why, why? Why did they let this horrible thing happen to me? I just wanted to talk to Tsuruga-san. But why does it seem like the gods are against me?_

Kyoko seemed to be on autopilot. Without her knowing, she was turning to another street. Her amazing cat legs were carrying her away from her stalker. When she looked back, she saw that the guy had lost his stamina and stopped on his tracks. Even though they were a few distances away, Kyoko could here his muffled cursing. He really has a colorful vocabulary.

She ran a few more blocks before finally stopping. She collapsed on the hard asphalt, panting heavily. Her tongue, which seemed so long now that she was a cat, hung out of her mouth. Her tail was down, indicating that she was dead tired.

_What should I do? I can't get near Tsuruga-san or anyone else in LME while I'm in cat mode._ Kyoko licked her paws as she thought of a new plan. _Damn. It sucks to be trapped in this little cat body. I can't talk to people. I can't follow them whenever I please. And I can't tell them that I'm not really missing. Uggh. My brain is too crushed up to think..._

This cat then began to pace back and forth on the streets. She kept thinking and thinking. Thinking of a plan to get to LME. But no matter how hard she thought, no plan came into mind. She was about to give up when she heard a familiar voice beside her.

"Shizuka?"

Her sharp ears perked up. Her cat senses immediately kicked in. She got into attack position with her tail straight up. But when she looked at the person who spoke, she saw no possible threat. In fact, she was ecstatic at the sight of this woman.

"Oh, you're not Shizuka," the teenager frowned. She leaned closer to Kyoko, taking a closer look. "With your brilliant golden brown fur, I really mistook you for Shizuka. You really resemble that Maria Takarada's old pet cat."

At the mention of Maria's name, Kyoko raised her paws. She tried communicating with the girl using sign language. Only did she remember that sign language required human hands, and the use of thumbs. Cats, however, don't have thumbs.

"Curse evolution," Kyoko murmured, glaring at her cute paws. Then she looked up again, this time she tried to speak. "Matsunai-san! Hey! Don't you remember me? I'm Kyoko Mogami. You know, the one you harassed because you thought I'd take away your movie role."

Ruriko Matsunai, being a human, couldn't understand her. She only heard the soft meowing of the cute creature. She then lowered her arms and picked the cat up into her arms. "You're really cute, you know that? Hmmm… Maybe I should take you to work. I bet that Takarada would be happy to see a cat that looks just like her previous pet."

_Maria-chan had a pet before?_ Kyoko wondered, amazed at the information given._ I thought she was only interested in cursing. Maybe I should give her a cat voodoo doll on her next birthday._

Kyoko meowed once more and Ruriko only grew more attached to her. "Yeah, I will take you to work. And, who knows? Maybe the president would give me some special reward when he sees Maria happily playing with you."

_Not really the best motivation but alright,_ Kyoko thought, snuggling close to her. _No matter what, I should get into LME. And maybe I can meet up with Tsuruga-san and Moko-san when Matsunai-san gives me to Maria-chan. That would be good._

"Ruriko-chan," a woman, who Kyoko guessed was her manager, called. She ran up to the singer, seeming like she was out of breath. "My goodness, you suddenly disappeared and I didn't know where I'll find you. We need to get to LME soon and -" She stopped when she saw the cat. "What's with the cat?"

Shrugging, she stroked her fur. "I just saw her here. Ain't she cute? She looks like Maria Takarada's Shizuka-chi!"

The woman looked hesitant. "Maybe you shouldn't pick that up. You don't know what kind of disease it could carry. It's stray cat, Ruriko-chan."

"Not for long," she stubbornly declared. She faced her manager. "I'm going to take her to LME and give her to that Maria. At least she'll have a home there. And I can see her every day. Isn't that better than leaving her alone here?"

_Yes, that's definitely better,_ Kyoko replied mentally, glancing up to Ruriko. _Who knew that I only needed to turn into a cat for you to be nice to me? _

Sighing in defeat, her manager raised her hands. "Okay, okay. You can take the cat along. But before we get to the studio, you have to hand it over to that Maria girl. If not, it's back to the streets for her."

"Yeah, okay. Sure," answered Ruriko, gently petting the little animal. She then giggled. "She's too cute to resist. Aren't you bothered by her condition here?"

"That's why we're taking her along," she said. Acting impatient, she said, "C'mon. Let's go. We need to be early for the recording of your new album."

Ruriko giggled as she followed her manager. She was really attached to that cute cat. She wasn't even sure anymore if she wanted to give it to her childhood friend, Maria. But seeing Maria happy was also running through her mind. Still stroking Kyoko, she slipped into the car.

_At least I get to go to LME now,_ Kyoko told herself, yawning. It came out as a soft meow. _Maybe I could meet up with Tsuruga-san somehow...

* * *

_

_Oh yeah… I mixed up the original storyline of the manga and made Ruriko Maria's childhood friend. Don't mind it very much. I didn't want any of her close friends to find her yet so I wrote Ruriko in. About Shizuka… It'll be explained later in the story. And by the way, I made the mistake of describing Kyoko as a girl who has chestnut brown hair. My apologies to everyone. But I guess I'll have to go with that. Please review!_


	3. Missing

_Kaorin71: Okay, here's chapter three. I'm not sure if this'll be my last update for at least two weeks, 'cause we'll be on our one week break. I don't have internet access at home so, yeah… I might as well write while I have the inspiration. I wanted to take a break from all the drama I had on the other story so I did this… and that's it. And, oh yeah. If anyone gets confused, Lory changed into his Tarzan costume when they went out of his office. Since his office wasn't fit for serious talk, they transferred to the conference room. So, please R&R!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat. (But I own Yoshiki Nakamura… hehe, just kidding)

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_

**Chapter 3: Missing**

"Missing? What do you mean she's missing?"

Yashiro's shrill voice filled the whole room. Beside him sat Ren, his palm covering his face as if he was troubled. Lory just stood before the two, eyes concerned.

"Her guardians phoned the office just this morning. They said she didn't go home last night," Lory told them, leaning on his wooden desk. "They were assuming that Mogami-san might've just forgotten to tell them that she had some shooting but now they're worried on her whereabouts."

Yashiro massaged his temples then adjusted his glasses. "How can that news spread so quickly if you've just found out about it?"

Lory glared at the little girl beside him. "Hmmm. I don't really know. I was sure that I was** alone** in this room when I was talking with Mogami-san's guardians. The next thing I knew, everyone got informed about it. It seems like **someone** is sneaking around without permission."

Maria, who has been quiet all this time, yelled in protest. "I didn't sneak in! The door was open so I went in. And I didn't eavesdrop. I just happened to hear the conversation." Then she crossed her arms in front of her, pouting stubbornly. "Besides, I only told the news to Yukimura-san..."

"Yukimura," Lory sighed, sitting down on his 'throne'. "Why, of all people, did you tell Yukimura? Don't you know how much a blabbermouth she is?"

"I didn't think she'd spread it around," Maria argued. "She is your secretary. I thought that maybe I could trust her."

Snorting, he told her, "I know she's my secretary. But I didn't say that I tell her my secrets. Have you ever wondered why I had her stationed outside of my office and why this room is sound proof?"

"That's out of the topic!" Maria answered back in an effort to change to conversation. "Nee-san is missing and you're not even taking it seriously!"

"Alright, back to the main topic," he said, glancing at the two men on the sofa. He edged closer to his desk then placed his arms on top of the furniture. "Okay, let's get this over with. We have to start some serious conversation here."

At his words, Maria let out an angry protest - again. Frustrated, she jumped up and tugged on Lory's garments. "How do you expect them to be serious when we're surrounded with all the plants and that tiger?" She then pointed an accusing finger at the medium sized cat. "Grandfather, we're at an acting agency, not in a jungle!"

Ren and Yashiro saw the president sigh as his grand daughter continued to bat more words at him. She was right with one thing. Lory can't expect them to get serious with all those frivolous wild flowers and giant tropical plants in the office. It seemed to them that the theme for the day was a tropical rainforest. Plants here and there, a couple of Venus Fly Trap at the corner, Pitcher plants topped his desk and the most intriguing was that Siberian Tiger chained to a table leg. With this kind of an environment, how can they think?

"The plants are decorations," Lory said defensively. "And that tiger is tame. His name is Kazuki-kun and he's very friendly."

The little girl was about to open he mouth to protest but Ren beat her there. "The decorations and the tiger don't matter. We need to think of a way to cover this issue up. We don't want to steer unwanted controversies just from this event."

Both the president and the girl stood mouth agape with his sudden speech. Then they recovered and stopped arguing. Maria got back on her tiny sofa and sat down, arms crossed. The president coughed - something that Maria would like to call stalling - and turned to Ren.

The actor placed his hands on his palms as he stared at the president. "Mogami-san is missing, true. But we have to act like it didn't happen. Pretend that it doesn't affect us. When the people see us acting that way, they'll stop talking about the issue." He leaned forward, saying, "Of course, while covering up for her, we should do something to find her. Some of us should at least look for her."

Yashiro, Lory and Maria all agreed with his decision. The actor's manager was a little worried with the front Ren was showing. He may appear like he's unaffected but he's probably crushed inside. He was the last person who saw her so he must think it's his responsibility that she got missing.

Everyone became silent for a moment. Then, as Lory was about to open up a topic to be discussed, the door swung open. All of them turned their heads and saw the furious Kanae at the doorway. She glared at them murderously, as if she had the intent to kill them.

Kanae didn't hesitate to get in, even with a grown tiger blocking her way. She slammed her hand on Lory's desk as she yelled, "Mo! What's this news I hear about Kyoko being missing? Who the hell made that crap up!"

"No one made it up," Yashiro explained. "It's true; Kyoko-chan is missing. We don't know where she is at the moment. But -"

"What do you mean 'but?" This time, Kanae was literally screaming her lungs out. "How can you people be sitting there, comfortable and all when my best friend is somewhere out there alone and scared! Don't you think someone should act now?"

"We are thinking," Maria interrupted, frowning cutely. "But we still have to plan it out."

"What plan? Get out there and find Kyoko, damn it! That's the plan!"

Seeing her outburst, Lory sighed. Turning to Ren, he said, "She's worse the Kazuki-kun. Maybe I will find a use for that tranquilizer the zoo keeper gave me." He stopped for a few seconds when Kanae shouted some incoherent phrases. "I guess we have a lot of explaining to do."

"Yes," Ren said, not showing any emotion other than concern. "I guess we do."

* * *

"We're here."

Ruriko glanced up and then yawned. She took her purse, put her phone in, picked up Kyoko from the car seat and stepped outside. LME stood in front of them, the glass glimmering brilliantly under the sunlight. The singer took her hat from the car and placed it on her head for protection.

"Ruriko-chan, go ahead to the studio," her manager said, producing the phone from her pockets. "I have to make an important call about your new job offer. I'll be fast."

Nodding, Ruriko left her manager at the parking lot and pranced inside the establishment. Upon entering the building, a few workers cast curious glances at her. More specifically, at Kyoko. It seems like a cat being carried by a famous celebrity wasn't a very common thing to see.

Frowning a little bit, Ruriko went on walking. She had Kyoko in one palm as she was only the size of a mini throw pillow. Stroking her, she said, "Don't worry about them. They're just not used to seeing something as cute as you."

_I wonder what your reaction would be when you find out I'm Kyoko,_ the little cat mentally said, looking up to the actress._ Hmm… Maybe you'll take back what you said about me being cute and fight with me again. That's a possibility._

As the singer was walking across the building, Kyoko caught a glimpse of Ren's black hair in a room they just passed by. Her eyes widened in alarm. This cat staggered to stand on top of Ruriko's arm. She glanced back at that room and sighed.

"What's the matter? Are you hungry or something?" The singer asked, noticing the cat's sudden activity.

Kyoko tried to speak up. "Tsuruga-san. He's in that room. We have to go back."

However, to the human ears, what Kyoko said sounded like a soft meow. When Ruriko heard this, she smiled sweetly and patted her head. But Kyoko grew stubborn and pushed her hand away with her tiny paws. The singer was surprised at first but then stretched her hand out again. This time, Kyoko showed her retractable claws at her as a threat.

"Hey, what's up? Why are you acting so weird?" She asked, not understanding the animal's weird behavior.

Sighing, Kyoko stood up and crawled on top of her shoulder. She purred loudly as she pointed at the door they had passed. But she couldn't point properly due to the chubby cat fingers. Kyoko once again cursed evolution for giving cats paws instead of hands.

"Are you trying to swat a fly?" She asked, confused.

_No, but I'm about to swat a giant fly who's right in front of me now,_ Kyoko answered mentally, getting impatient. She wanted to just go and enter that room. But she knew she couldn't go anywhere without Ruriko. She might get chased off again. And she probably won't be able to enter the room. Cats lacked opposable thumbs.

Not seeing any more options, Kyoko gracefully leaped down from Ruriko's protective arms and dashed for the door. The singer trailed behind her, wanting to find out what made the cat upset. Upon reaching the door, Kyoko tried to knock on it. It was no use so she had her claws out and scratched on the wood.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Ruriko questioned, picking her up. The little critter squirmed in her hands, wanting to be let down on the floor. "The management's gonna scold me for bringing you in if you ruin that precious oak door. They're gonna kick you out if you don't behave."

_But if I behave, I won't get what I want_, Kyoko reasoned out. _Man, who knew that being a cat could raise your blood pressure?_

She continued to thrash about. Ruriko on the other hand just shrugged and was about to go on her way when she noticed the blonde haired girl inside the room. Seeing the girl triggered something in her memory.

_C'mon,_ Kyoko pleaded silently, still struggling. _Let go of me! I need to go! I have to see Tsur-_

A soft meow escaped her lips as Ruriko hurriedly twisted the door knob and entered the room. She almost fell on the floor, which would have been good, if it weren't for the singer's quick grip on her. Nevertheless, she still stumbled and fell back against her breasts. When Kyoko recovered, she had a clear view of everyone inside the room.

In front of them stood a long table and a row of chairs on each side of it. That place was probably the conference room since it looked formal. The first person she saw was Ren, probably because she really wanted to see him. Turning to the right, she saw Maria who was gaping at Ruriko. Yashiro was at the left side, sitting on a very comfortable chair. And the president was seated at the other side of the room, seeming like the master of the feast.

There was a small unnoticed sofa by the corner. Kyoko sat up and used her enhanced cat vision to see who was lying on the cushion. It turns out that it was Kanae Kotonami, her aggressive and very rude best friend. Upon seeing the Love-Me girl, Kyoko got out of Ruriko's grip and ran up to her friend.

"Ah, come back!" She called. But after concluding that the cat was just going to the sofa for a nap, she relaxed herself and composed herself. This was important because she in the presence of LME's great president.

_Great president..?_ Ruriko looked at the man, disturbed with the Tarzan like costume he was wearing. _Great might be an understatement. What should I describe him with? Maybe 'frolicsome' and 'too spirited' will fit him._

"Matsunai-san?" Lory called, puzzled by her sudden appearance. He leaned back on the chair, which was his 'Throne number two', and raised his almost bare legs on the table. "What brought you here?"

_I don't know what the hell made me go in here,_ she thought, getting more and more troubled with what she was seeing. She managed to choke out some favorable words in reply. "Uhm, yeah, I was just dropping by to see Maria… and deliver the package."

"Package?" Maria asked out loud, eyes sparkling at the mere mention of the word. "Is it a gift from father? Is it?"

She shook her head. "No it's not. But I have something better for you."

While the two of them conversed, Kyoko was now using Kanae's belly as a trampoline. She jumped up and down, as if to revive a person who has drowned.

"Moko-san, don't leave me yet! You're birthday is only a couple of days away!" Kyoko meowed, still jumping. After a few more failed attempts in resuscitating the girl, she gave in to her last resort. Her claws were already prepared to do some minor scratching on Kanae when the latter woke up, moaning out loud.

Glancing on her belly, she saw the brown cat arching its back as if to attack. Grunting, Kanae nearly slapped her away full force. Good thing Kyoko anticipated her attack and hopped off her body, landing on the floor with a soft thud.

Kyoko was going to scamper away from the sofa when Kanae bent down to pick her. Another meow escaped her lips, only this one was of agony. Who knew what'll happen to her, especially since her best friend wasn't very fond of animals.

Arranging her messy hair, Kanae stomped to the table. "Mo! What the hell happened? Why the hell did I wake up with this creep about to attack me?"

"I wasn't going to scratch you," Kyoko pouted._ "_I was just going to tickle you awake…"

Unfortunately for her, no one there could understand cat speech. A growl came from the raven haired woman upon hearing her whimpers. Kyoko then decided to keep quiet, going limp in Kanae's hands.

"Don't hurt her!" Ruriko argued, taking the poor animal from her grasp. "She's not doing anything to you."

"Well, yeah. I stopped her before she could even scratch my eyes out," Kanae shot at her.

The former was about to respond in kind when Lory let out a loud coughing sound. Once again, the singer realized who was in front of her and fixed herself. Although she was trying to look favorable to the president, she still didn't let the chance to stick her tongue out at Kanae to slip.

"Why did you bring that dirty animal in here?" Ren asked her, getting angry. "We're in an acting agency, not in an animal clinic."

Before the singer could answer him, Kanae jumped in. "Wait. Tell me first how the hell I ended up here. I don't remember sleeping."

Shrugging, Lory said, "Let's just say that I accidentally pulled the trigger on the tranquilizer gun."

After Kanae got her answer, Ruriko started another conversation. "Hey, Maria-chan. Look at her. She looks like Shizuka-chi, right?"

Hearing her old pet's name, her gaze fell on the brown kitty. She let out a cute moan and went forward to hug the cat. Kyoko didn't hesitate to climb into her arms and get comfortable. The cat purred softly when Maria stroked her fur.

"Where'd you get her?" Maria asked excitedly, hugging Kyoko to the extent of choking her.

"Just found her by the streets."

"She's a stray," Ren told them, glaring at Kyoko. Apparently, the actor wasn't very much of an animal lover. "You shouldn't pick up animals from around the corner. No one knows if that animal's ravenous or even deadly."

Pouting, Maria raised Kyoko to Ren's face. "She doesn't even look like she can harm a fly. Look. Can't you see her brilliant brown fur and her shining amber eyes? Doesn't she look so innocent?"

As Ren examined the poor animal, he grew surprised upon realizing that his beloved Kyoko resembles the cat. The brown hair and the amber eyes were exactly the same as hers. Lory noticed this also, even through the distance, and formed a devious plan in his head.

_She looks so much like Shizuka, except for the amber eyes,_ Lory sighed, recalling his beloved daughter. Shizuka was his cute little daughter who had amazing violet eyes. When his daughter disappeared seven years ago, they found a cat that looked exactly like her. Out of depression, Maria and Lory decided to name the cat after her. But some weeks later, that same cat disappeared, leaving them depressed even more.

_Could this be a coincidence? _Lory asked himself. _Kyoko got missing and this brown cat turns up… Hmm, come to think of it, the cat has an uncanny resemblance to her. Then maybe, to torture Ren and to make Maria happy..._

"What should I name her?" Maria inquired, twirling around the room with the cat in her hands. By the time she stopped, Kyoko was dizzy. She wondered if cats could hurl because that's what she felt like doing at that moment. "Shizuka number two? Makie? Rinko? Ina? Or maybe Maria, just like me!"

"Kyoko," Lory said. Leaning on the table, he continued, "Let's name her Kyoko. That would be good enough, since she looks so much like her."

At the side, Yashiro, who had been quiet all this time, stood up. "Yes! That's a good choice of a name! It fits her perfectly!"

Ren glared at both of them. Yashiro and Lory, however, pretended not to see his death stare and whistled innocently. Kanae grunted, irritated that the cat that almost scratched her eyes out was named after her beloved best friend. Ruriko sighed, recalling the memory she had with Kyoko. Maria on the other hand was very glad.

"Yep. That way, I get to call her nee-san," Maria happily declared, less depressed now that she had a temporary replacement for her nee-san. Taking her into her arms again, Maria said, "I'm gonna take you home and feed you. Then I'll sleep with you and maybe wake up with you. That's exciting!"

Kyoko didn't like the idea very much. True, she was happy to be with Maria. But then, she was just a child. The actress turned cat doubted that the little girl could make a connection that she in her cat form was the same person as the actress in question. Kanae and Yashiro wouldn't make a guess about it either. So her best chance was to go with her sempai. She assumed that Ren was the right person to approach.

Sliding out of Maria's grasp, Kyoko skidded on the floor and jumped up the table. Slowly and carefully, she tried to go near Ren. But as she was getting closer, Kyoko felt a bad vibe coming from the man. She stopped three inches from him, her tail sweeping on the table.

"What?" Ren uttered darkly, looking at her.

"Tsuruga-san," she called softly. "Don't be so mean. I'm not a dangerous animal. If I were then I would've torn your clothes into pieces, just like all those murderous fan girls of yours."

Again, no one understood anything. Her words came out as a soothing meow. Kyoko then thought darkly why cats couldn't talk when they have tons of vocal chords. Another reason to hate her present form.

"She wants to go with you, Ren-sama," Maria told him. Although she was sad that Kyoko the cat wouldn't come with her, she was slightly happy for the animal's fondness with her fantasy groom. "She likes you."

When Maria said those words, Kyoko couldn't help but blush. Thinking about Ren liking seemed to have raised her heart rate. And possibly, her blood pressure. Yet she quickly shook the thought away, knowing that Ren wouldn't want a plain and boring girl as his partner in life. Besides, she didn't have any strong feelings for the actor, just admiration.

The actor looked at the cat warily. He considered having her around his house. After a moment of thinking, he said, "Fine. I'll take care of her. But if she breaks a single thing in my apartment, it's off to the streets for her."

His decision made Kyoko very happy. So happy that she practically leapt unto his arms and cuddled against his chest. But after realizing what she was doing, she got all red again. Ren admitted to himself that even though he never liked animals, this cat appeared cute to him. And for some unknown reason, he felt rather attached to the little creature. He thought that maybe it was because of its resemblance to Kyoko.

"Okay," Ren chuckled, surprising all of them. It took all his might for him to blurt out his next sentence. "I'll take you home with me, Kyoko."

* * *

_Next Chapter: the beginning of the fluff! (I hope) Now, what should I do to Ren and Kyoko…? (Evil smile). Yeah, again, please R&R!_


	4. Found

_Kaorin71: Okay, chapter 4 is here! I hope you guys would like this! I don't know if they call those places caffeine shops, but if not, just pretend that they are called that way. I don't even know if they serve hot chocolate. Oh well. Please don't mind those. This is just fictional. And please tell me if you like the current story plot. Because if you guys don't like the idea of the twins, I'll revert back to the original plot, which doesn't involve Uriko. If no one reviews for this chapter then I'm gonna change it. But only if I have the time. Well, as always, R&R!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat.

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_

**Chapter 4: Found**

_"Okay. I'll take you home with me, Kyoko."_

_Kyoko, Kyoko, Kyoko, Kyoko, Kyoko, Kyoko, Kyoko…_

_What's with this irritating echoing in my head?_ Kyoko thought, trying to block her cat ears with her chubby paws._ Why is that echoing in my mind? Tsuruga-san only mentioned my name and now… I can't bring myself to forget it at all!_

"Take it easy," Ren murmured to the thrashing cat. He held her securely in his arms as they marched out of the building. "We're almost there."

After their emergency meeting about Kyoko's 'disappearance', everyone decided that it would be the best if Ren were to bring the cat home. That is, except Ren. Although he had taken a slight liking to the creature, he still can't shake his anger away. Perhaps that emotion was because he really did feel responsible for what happened to Kyoko.

_I don't understand it at all,_ Ren thought, gliding through the lobby. A lot of women stared at him as he passed by but he didn't notice this. _Why would anyone kidnap her? She's not that well known in the industry. If there's anyone who's a target for that kind of crime, then Maria is the number one victim. Or... was I the target? When I accompanied her to that place, did they make a mistake in carrying her away instead of me?_

Shaking his head, he decided to just worry about that later on. At that moment, he has to take the cat to his apartment. Now that idea didn't sound very good. But it's better than bringing it to the set while he worked on his drama. Besides, he still had two hours until the start of the shooting. A lot of time to waste away.

Meanwhile, as this actor was concerned for the welfare of his loved one, Ren is completely oblivious to the fact that he is going to be the cause of insanity of a certain actress-turned-cat. Kyoko the cat was already squirming and kicking against his chest yet he still won't let her walk freely.

_I can walk, Tsuruga-san. You don't need to carry me in this very embarrassing and awkward manner,_ the cat thought, hitting his arm with her paws. Then, giving up, she slumped back and just enjoyed the ride. _I guess there's nothing else I can do. Even though I really dislike the idea of me being carried like this, I have to put with it. Just until I get the chance to tell Tsuruga-san who I am_.

Soon enough, the two of them were in the parking lot. Ren got his keys from his pockets and opened the car door. He slipped in, having Kyoko in his left palm. For a moment, he placed her on the comfortable chair and started the engine. Kyoko was almost thankful when he released her. But as soon as the car got moving, Ren lifted her and put her in his lap.

"Now you won't be able to move," Ren said, throwing a quick glance at her. "Just stay there until we reach the place."

Kyoko tried staring at Ren with big, puppy dog eyes. Unfortunately for her, he was focused on the road, not taking a second look at her. After about five minutes, she sat back and pouted. She hated being a cat. She was getting into all sorts of unsettling situations with the actor without him knowing her real identity. If Ren were to find out that Kyoko was on his lap, how would he react?

_I might look cute when I'm a cat,_ she said in her mind, watching the streets through the window. _But if I were to imagine me and Tsuruga-san in this situation with me as a human, then…_ At that, the girl turned red all over again. _It looks horrible! It doesn't fit! Imagining me on his lap is like imagining Maria and Hiou together!_

This girl spent the entire trip agonizing over her condition. Upon arrival, Ren parked the car and got out, still having the cat in his arms. He was slightly surprised to find the energetic cat seemingly lifeless in his palm. But he shook the thought away, assuming that the creature was only hungry. They took the elevator and soon, they were in front of his apartment door.

Placing her down for a second, he fumbled for his keys. "Now where are those keys? I know that I put them in here…"

Glad that he had finally let go of her, Kyoko was about to wander around when she saw a set of keys on the floor. It seems like the actor had dropped them without knowing. Running up to it, she clamped her teeth on it and trotted back to the man. She gently shoved the keys in front of him, wagging her tail cutely.

Seeing the cat retrieve his keys, he patted her head. "I guess you're somehow useful."

Purring softly, she watched as he put the inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it. Opening the door, he scooped her up and took her inside with him. As he reached the sofa in his living room, he soothingly placed her on the cushion and proceeded to his bed room.

Perking up, Kyoko looked at him. _Where's he going?_ She wondered._ I have to follow him. I have to tell him now. The quicker, the better._

Scampering off the comfy sofa, Kyoko quietly walked on the floor. As she was making her way around the place, she caught a glimpse of the actor heading to a nearby room. Since the door was slightly ajar, Kyoko easily slipped in. However, when she got in, she wished that she had never followed him.

"You're here?" Ren asked, noticing the cat as he removed the last button on his clothing. Tossing the garment aside, he stopped down and picked her from the floor. "You just can't wait in one place, can you?"

_I'm gonna die!_ Kyoko thought in disdain, trying to block the image of Ren topless out of her mind. _If there's anything worse than having Tsuruga-san carrying me, it would be having Tsuruga-san shirtless while carrying me!_

"Are you hungry?" The actor asked, sitting on the bed. "Or is it that you also want to take a bath?"

_A bath? Is he inviting me to take a bath with him?_ The cat thought, turning pale. Once her mind processed what he had said, she vigorously shook her head in denial. She just hoped that Ren would get the message that taking a shower with her is not good for her heart.

Ren somehow understood her. "I see. You're hungry. Then let's get you something to eat."

He stood up, nearly knocking her to the floor. Catching her with his hand, he then proceeded to go to the kitchen, put her down and reached inside his cupboard. He took out some canned goods, bottled water and - that's pretty much everything he has. What would you expect from a man who skips all his meals?

On the floor, the cat scowled. _Tsuruga-san is really careless. It's not healthy if you would only eat canned products and drink bottled water. He should eat real food, not this synthetic stuff._

After clawing through the contents of his cupboard, Ren sighed and decided to just take something out of his refrigerator. Unfortunately, his fridge wasn't of much help, either. The only thing inside it was an orange as big as his knuckle. He took it out and put it on the table.

"I'm going to eat that?" Kyoko inquired, thinking if it would be good for a cat to eat that.

As usual, it came out as a soft purr. The actor didn't hear this, though. He went to his drawers, pulled a not-so-sharp knife from inside and then came back to the table. He was about to peel the fruit when his phone rang. Dropping the silverware, he hurried towards his bedroom.

The cat breathed in relief. Now that Ren, her shirtless sempai, was gone, she could freely move again. Although before she could do so, she was bothered by her conscience.

_Why was I so uneasy when I saw Tsuruga-san without upper clothing?_ She asked herself, confused. _Normally, I would be happy because I can finally observe his body in detail and perfect my Tsuruga-san dolls. But now, I have this queasy feeling in my chest. It's as if I'm suffocating or something. Hmmm... Is it another effect of being a cat?_

Shrugging the thought away, Kyoko sheathed her claws and climbed up the wooden table leg. When she reached the top, she found that her claws managed to peel the outer layer of the oak. Now, that table leg seemed like a peeled banana.

_At least I put in a design,_ Kyoko told herself, trotting up to the orange. In her present form, she looked puny compared to the fruit. Well, she was smaller than Ren's palm. And this orange was almost the size of Ren's knuckle.

_Should I peel this now?_ She thought, circling the fruit. _I am quite hungry. I didn't eat dinner last night and I haven't had my breakfast yet. I could settle for this juicy orange. Come to think of it, it's the same shape as a ball..._

Suddenly, she forgot about her hunger. She stared at the fruit, looking at it intently. She couldn't understand it but somehow, her mind told her to go ahead and pounce on the ball. And her body was already in attack position, not waiting for her command. Her tail was straight up, just like when cats are about to ambush their prey.

_Wait a minute. Is this another stupid cat instinct?_ She thought, fighting the urge to shred the object in front of her. _Stupid cat intuition. I can't rip this orange apart. It's the only edible thing in here. Unless Tsuruga-san has house mice..._

Before she could even fight the animal side of her brain, she raised her tiny paws and tried to tear the orange apart. Fortunately, Ren came in - with his clothes on - and caught her before she could ambush the fruit.

"Now you're attacking fruits," he said, shaking his head. "I can't leave you freely wandering around my apartment if you would shred everything you see. I guess I do have to lock you up."

"Lock me up?" She squeaked. The idea seemed a bit cruel to Kyoko. Why would he lock her up? Besides the fact that she almost destroyed the fruit and decorated the table leg with an assortment of scratch marks, she didn't do anything destructive.

As she was about to purr in complaint, Ren took her in his hands again and made his way to the living room. On top of the side table was a steel cage painted with a bloody red tint. The actor flipped up the door on the right side of the cage, placed her in and then closed the opening with a padlock.

"Sorry but you have to bear with me," he said, shoving the key in his pockets. "I can't have you roaming around in my apartment and destroying everything in here. I'll let you out when I get back."

Inside the cage, Kyoko was aghast. She looked up to him, trying to convince him that she was not dangerous at all. But Ren turned away, walking to the apartment entrance. Kyoko cried out an objection as he completely left her sight. When she heard the soft click of the door, she grumbled and sat on the brown leaves.

_Tsuruga-san's so cruel, leaving me in this prison,_ Kyoko moaned silently, cleaning the cage floor with her paw like a windshield wiper. _And he put on a padlock, too. How will I get out of here?_

Kyoko studied the appearance of her new home. It looked comfortable enough, with all those dried up leaves scattered on the metal cage floor. But when she looked closer, she found that the cage was once a hamster's home. The exercise wheel and the maze-like tunnels gave her that conclusion.

As she was examining the area, she thought of an idea. _Maybe those tunnels would lead somewhere,_ Kyoko mentally said. _It's hard to see, since they're not the usual transparent ones, but they might lead somewhere. And one opening might lead straight out of this cage._

With that in mind, she climbed into the cylindrical maze. She was a tiny creature, maybe even as big as a healthy hamster, so she easily fit inside. In her first four attempts, she ended up going back to where she came from. At her fifth try, she thought she had found the way out only to be caught in a dead end. During her sixth try, she ended up falling down on the floor. And she even got lost on her seventh try.

_It's not as easy as I thought it would be. I'm starting to respect all those hamsters that could even find their way in here,_ Kyoko thought, panting. _Where could the exit be? And where did I even come from? I don't know anymore!_

This girl was about to give up when she saw an unexplored area at her right. At the end of that side of the tunnel, a faint light was shining through. Kyoko rejoiced silently as she dashed ahead. But when she reached end of the tunnel, she saw that it just led her to the other side of the cage. Still no exit.

"Damn," she fumed, banging her paws on the metal wiring of the cage. "I really thought that I've found a way out. I guess there's really no escaping this cage, huh."

That time, Kyoko felt totally crushed and defeated. She was turned into a cat by some unknown evil fairy, unrecognized by her fellow actors and actresses and now, locked up in a cage. It seems like there was no more way for her to get back to her human form.

_And I'm going to miss Moko-san's birthday, _Kyoko sighed, pushing the metal with her paws. _Moko-san is going to hate me if I don't come. I have to try to get out of here somehow. Somehow…._

Kyoko was thinking so hard, she didn't notice that her claws were pushing on the wall - hard. She didn't even realize that the metal was getting soft - and scorching hot. This oblivious cat only noticed all these when that side of the cage burst into flames. Literally.

Stumbling back, Kyoko watched in fascination as the flames scorched the metal, melting them in a matter of five seconds. A while later, the wall completely vanished, replaced by a smoking pool of liquid steel on the ground. When Kyoko tried to stand up, she saw that even her paws were covered with orange flames. She shook them until the fire disappeared. It took her a full minute before she recovered.

_What was that? How'd that happen?_ Kyoko asked herself, staring at her cat paws. _That's definitely weird. Where did that fire come from? And why didn't I feel any pain when the flame consumed my han - er, paws?_

Still confused, Kyoko jumped out of the cage. She looked behind her, glancing at the molten metal. Smoke rose up from it, making its way up to the ceiling and activating the sprinkler system. The water poured down, cooling the material. A weird odor wafted in her delicate nose, almost making her hurl.

_Whatever it is,_ she thought, _I have to get out of here before someone notifies the fire department. Or before Tsuruga-san finds out and decides to kick me out._

Keeping that in mind, Kyoko dashed to the entrance then halted._ Wait. The door is closed. Locked. And the only other way out is through the windows, which is also shut tight. Then where am I going to…?_

Glancing at the far end of the wall, she saw a small opening. It was probably the air vent, if the room has one. Or it could probably be some kind of specialized trap designed to capture troublesome creatures like her. Whatever it was, it was the only chance she had. She has to take the risk.

Meowing softly, she climbed up the sofa and jumped inside the opening, hoping that nothing would go horribly wrong.

* * *

At the other side of Tokyo, the sun was shining brilliantly. People were enjoying their time taking strolls around the park. Some couples were eating at the nearby restaurant. And the local caffeine store was as peaceful as always.

That is, until she came.

All of the people around the area grew silent as they saw her pass by. Her black garments were definitely attracting too much attention. And her signature scowl was plastered on her face, scaring many children. When she noticed them staring at her with hostile gazes, she just smirked.

"What? Are you mortals speechless because of my beauty or are you just imbeciles?" She taunted, laughing a little.

Some of them grew angry at what she said. Some of them decided to ignore her, not letting her presence trample on their mood. After a few seconds, most of them looked away from her, pretending not to have heard or seen her.

Realizing this, she frowned. "Imbeciles."

This orange haired woman then sat down, tapping her fingers on the table. A waitress arrived soon after, asking for her order while trying to smile. No success, though as her fear kept on eating her. She gazed at the poor girl with her red eyes and told her to get her some hot chocolate. She jotted the order down, bowed down then scampered away.

She looked at the retreating figure of the waitress. "Humans really are weak. Pathetic."

Her phone rang. Her frown deepened as she rummaged her black purse for the object. When she had found it, she raised it to her ears and answered the call. "Yeah?"

"Uriko, it's me. Where are you?"

Hearing that voice, Uriko, the orange haired woman, rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know it's you. Don't think about me. I'm still alive anyway. And I don't need you to worry about me."

At the other line, Uriko heard a sigh. "I can't not worry about you. I'm your mother, no matter how much you hate it. Besides, if they find you, you'll be in trouble. They're going to catch you and then exile you. Or kill you. Or -"

"I get it. You're just concerned for my welfare. And that's because I'm your beloved _daughter_," she told her, putting a sarcastic tone on the last word. "And don't you worry, Sae - I mean, _okaa-san_. The council won't find me. They're too stupid to look for me here."

"Alright," the woman sighed, giving up. "Just don't do anything dangerous, okay? And come back in Hokkaido as soon as possible. You -"

"Okay, fine. Whatever. Bye." Before her mother could even say something annoying, she ended the call. Opening her purse, she threw her phone inside just in time for her order to come. She gingerly took the cup from the tray waved the girl away.

"Crazy old hag," Uriko muttered, taking a small sip from the cup. "She thinks I'm too dumb to know what she's really up to. She just doesn't want me to leave her sight so that I won't be able to do anything fun."

Muttering some more incoherent words, she took a stainless steel teaspoon from her purse. As she was taking it out, the golden star shaped pendant came tumbling out, landing on the ground beside her. Bending down, she picked the jewelry up and played with it using her fingers.

"One of the few treasures of the world," she said, eyes gleaming as she examined the pendant. "It's really hard to find this kind of jewelry nowadays. It's because those damn mortals stopped making gold accessories and replaced them with silver ones. And to think I despise silver."

Uriko leaned back on her seat, placing the pendant on the table. Reaching out for her cup, she used her teaspoon and mixed the chocolate with it. Watching the people around her, she grumbled. "And even the eating accessories are made of silver. Dammit. Now I have to bring stainless steel products everywhere I go. This sucks."

As this woman was busy with her cup of chocolate, the television screen by the caffeine shop flickered on. The screen revealed a live show featuring two sets of twins. When Uriko saw this, she immediately remembered something.

"Twins," she muttered, squinting at the television. "Come to think of it, Saena never told me who my mortal twin is. She never even mentioned a single word about her. I wonder why…."

Putting the cup on the saucer, she began to think. _Then again, maybe she died. But, no, that's impossible. If she died then I should also be dead. I'm still breathing, which means that she's somewhere in this pathetic world, living a boring life. I wonder what kind of life that pesky twin of mine has. I'm sure, whatever life she has now, it would be better than being with an insane old hag in a distant remote place at some stupid province._

_Or maybe…. Maybe she's just around the corner. Perhaps we've seen each other before and I didn't even realize it. Saena once lived in Kyoto, as I've discovered in her hidden files. So it's not impossible that she would be here in Tokyo, _Uriko thought, leaning on the table with her arm. _And Saena's not worried about me. Instead, she's worried about her because I'm here and there's a possibility that I might meet up with her. Then the reason she took me away to Hokkaido was to prevent the two of us from meeting._

Once she came up with this conclusion, something inside her clicked. It made sense. Back then, when she was still a harmless little baby, Saena took her to Hokkaido. And once, as she was going through Saena's private files, she found out about her twin. After that, whenever she would ask about her twin, Saena would shout and clam up. It was like she was hiding a very important secret from her.

_And I even believed that her reason for living in that ghost town was because she's going nuts,_ Uriko thought, still mixing the chocolate. _Well, that might be part of the truth since she is insane. Now, while I'm still free to roam around, perhaps it's time to meet up with my beloved sister._

Looking down at her cup, she began to chant some words as she mixed the chocolate with her teaspoon. At first, the brownish liquid didn't show her anything. After a while, it began to form a strange pattern, somewhat like a human face. Uriko kept her attention towards it, mumbling the last words that would complete her spell.

_"_Show me what I need to see. Show me the face of my other half," she declared softly. She placed her finger in the middle, forming strange circular rings on the surface. As she took away her finger, the image cleared, revealing a cat trapped in some rectangular area.

Scowling, she slammed her palm on the table. "Stupid hot chocolate locating magic. It never works when I need it most. What the hell does this cat have to do with what I wanted to see? I want to see my sister, not this idiotic -" She stopped, analyzing the image further. "This cat... Isn't this that girl I saw the other night? The one who tried to take my precious pendant away. Isn't she the one I cursed? Don't tell me..."

Staring at the scene being played in her cup, it dawned to her that the girl she cursed was actually her twin. Come to think of it, now that she knows this, the girl does resemble her. The only difference is that she has brownish hair instead of bright orange hair and that she has amber eyes instead of her fiery red ones. As soon as she realized this, a malicious grin formed on her face.

"Look what we have here. My twin sister, a mortal who's supposed to be as pure as a fairy, is in fact one of the shattered beings," Uriko told herself, twirling the spoon in her hand. "And I've already met her, which means I don't have to waste my time looking for her. Now that she's in that form, getting rid of her would be a piece of cake. But first, let's see what kind of life she has..."

In a snap of a finger, the image in the chocolate dispersed, forming a new scene. This one showed her childhood memories. After that, it proceeded with her middle school life. Then with her Tokyo life, where she worked all-day long for that ungrateful bastard, Shoutaro Fuwa. On and on it went, like a movie being played in fast forward. Finally, it showed her current life, being an actress in the acting industry.

Taking the cup in her hand, she blew on it. As quick as it came, the images disappeared. "I have to say, she has quite a life. From boring and plain to beautiful and exotic. Just like a fairy."

She frowned, and then blew on the cup again. This time, it showed her the faces of Kyoko's friends and loved ones. "She has a weird best friend, for a pure mortal girl. Then again, I like her choice. Although her other friends aren't as good, with the exception of the Amamiya girl."

Turning her gaze to the other images, she said, "And she's surrounded by these two. Sho Fuwa and Ren Tsuruga. Hmm... This Sho guy has a lot of dark aura. I could use him to feed my magic. And this Tsuruga guy... Hot and mysterious. He has a darker aura than the first guy, which makes him the perfect man of my choice."

Once she had finished with what she was doing, she placed the cup down again. Subsequent to this, she grabbed her purse and stood up. She didn't bother to pay the bill. They, after all, were no match for her. She could annihilate them within seconds with her shadow magic. Uriko started walking down the pavement, having a new mission in mind.

_Get ready, my beloved sister, _she smirked. _Your possessions, friends and the man that you love…. I'm gonna take them all. Be prepared to lose everything. _


End file.
